Mobile Phone News Story

Increased mobile roaming charges for UK travelers post Brexit

A ban on roaming charges to countries in the European Union will not apply to British Nationals, claims a recently disclosed document.

As the UK slowly starts to experience the consequences of Brexit, a ban on EU roaming charges that was due to take effect in June is no longer applicable to British tourists.
Unless the British government are able to come up with a satisfactory resolution before 2019, Brits travelling to the EU will have to pay roaming charges if they use their phone while abroad.

The European Commission recently announced that mobile phone customers will be able to use all phone functions while abroad and still pay UK rates.

The legal document, drafted by a sector of the European parliament explicitly states that Britain has been excluded from the arrangement.

Over the years, the EU has successfully convinced mobile operators to lower their roaming charges.

Prior to the roaming price reduction, Brits travelling to the EU faced high bills for using their phones abroad. The average bill was £61 higher than normal, and 17% faced bills of over £100, according to data from Uswitch.

This has also led to talks regarding Britain’s position in the consortium of member states that is evaluating spacecraft and space debris to assist the EU. For the UK to continue operating in this capacity it would take an international agreement.

Polish MEP Jerzy Buzek stated: “The document was written to assess the law, and my colleagues will be part of any negotiations that take place.”

He also mentioned that there is not much time left to prepare for this move, and since the UKs position within the EU is still uncertain they can only view the evaluation as an initial assessment.